The 2017 Postseason Report
Gentlemen – Another season in the books. Overall, this was like many other seasons of the FMFL, with ups and downs throughout 17 weeks. Underdogs had a brief run early in the year, and with favorites performing well the second half of the season, there were gaudy totals across the board. Yet, the final playoff spot was still claimed where it usually falls, somewhere between +$1,000 and +$1,500.
Here’s a breakdown of how the league did as a whole each week:
Week 1: -$3,900
Week 2: +$2,500
Week 3: -$2,300
Week 4: +$2,600
Week 5: +$2,500
Week 6: -$7,500
Week 7: -$3,400
Week 8: +$4,600
Week 9: +$7,700
Week 10: -$900
Week 11: +$5,100
Week 12: +$800
Week 13: +$4,400
Week 14: -$700
Week 15: -$1,600
Week 16: -$2,000
Week 17: +$2,200
That’s a cumulative total of +$10,100, which is pretty remarkable. We had a few weeks (Weeks 11 and 13 especially) when many franchises used their wild cards on a few teams and those teams all won, which raised the bar for the division winning totals this year.
Disclaimer: The following is a completely biased report of the 2017 FMFL Regular Season. The views, opinions, and observations that follow are those of the Executive Director and are completely subjective.
East Division
Bud Fox
Final Total: -$400
Winning Percentage: 0.520
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 15 – Atlanta – Lost
Recap: Bud never got it going this season, and a late wild card bet loss put the final nail in his coffin. When Bud came into the league, he was on fire from the get-go, but seems to have lost his mojo lately.
Grade: C-
Chris B. Corey
Final Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.513
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 13 – Seattle – Won
Recap: It was a disappointing finish for Chris B. Corey, who was in prime playoff position down the stretch only to lose a postseason berth in the final weeks.
Grade: B
Face
Final Total: $1,600
Winning Percentage: 0.477
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 15 – Baltimore – Won
Recap: Face’s second half of the season was abysmal (just look at his winning percentage), yet he hung on to make the playoffs. Chalk it up to good money management and hitting his bigger bets when he needed to. Also, his “fade the Browns” betting theory paid off handsomely, particularly with his wild card bet.
Grade: B+
Judge Smails
Final Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.443
Fines: $500
Wild Card Bet: Week 8 – Atlanta – Won
Recap: After a disappointing rookie campaign in 2016, Smails had a stronger season in 2017. However, fines set him back and put him out of the playoff picture with a few weeks to go. Something to build on for 2018 for sure.
Grade: C+
Patrick Bateman
Final Total: $3,600
Winning Percentage: 0.598
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – San Francisco – Won
Recap: The first half of the season was a roller coaster for Bateman, but he was lights out the second half of the year, including a $1,000 Week 17 to give him the overall and division crowns. He’s on fire heading into the postseason.
Grade: A+
The Beard of Zeus
Final Total: $200
Winning Percentage: 0.527
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 16 – Jacksonville – Lost
Recap: The Beard fell apart in December after a great three quarters of the season. If his wild card bet would have gone another way to stop the bleeding around the holidays, it would be a different story.
Grade: B-
The Big Hurt
Final Total: -$2,700
Winning Percentage: 0.384
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 6 – Kansas City – Lost
Recap: Back to normal for The Big Hurt. Just 38%? Oy vey.
Grade: D-
Yaz
Final Total: -$600
Winning Percentage: 0.515
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 1 – Pittsburgh – Lost
Recap: Week 1 was rough for Yaz and he couldn’t recover, despite a strong run during the middle of the year. Is he no longer a franchise to be feared?
Grade: C-
North Division
Babe
Final Total: -$1,000
Winning Percentage: 0.415
Fines: $500
Wild Card Bet: Week 12 – Oakland – Won
Recap: Babe had a lot of fines this year and despite winning his wild card bet. He may be one of the first franchises drafter next season.
Grade: D+
Bayonnaise
Final Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.487
Fines: $700
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: Bayonnaise was in the thick of it until he didn’t bet with a few weeks to go, which sent him into a downward spiral to end the year.
Grade: C
Blossom Russo
Final Total: -$4,300
Winning Percentage: 0.383
Fines: $2,200
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Carolina – Lost
Recap: Get ‘em next year, champ.
Grade: F
Don Mattingly
Final Total: -$500
Winning Percentage: 0.490
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 16 – Philadelphia – Lost
Recap: His Week 16 wild card bet loss was brutal, considering the Eagles decided not to kick the extra point that would’ve given him the win. However, hitting 49% of your bets doesn’t usually dictate success. Now that Neon Boudeaux split from him and we’ve seen the results (keep reading), we can definitely surmise who the weak link was….
Grade: C-
Gordon Bombay
Final Total: -$1,900
Winning Percentage: 0.429
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 16 – Detroit – Lost
Recap: An uncharacteristic poor performance from Gordon in 2017 and if he were a stock, it would be smart to buy now and then see what happens in 2018.
Grade: D
Kimmy Gibbler
Final Total: $3,500
Winning Percentage: 0.657
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – San Francisco – Won
Recap: Kimmy had a monster finish to pull away with the division title and is one of the favorites for the playoffs.
Grade: A
Larisa Oleynik
Final Total: $400
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 5 – Kansas City – Won
Recap: Right down the middle for Larisa this season, finishing with 0.500 betting record. She was close to the playoffs but didn’t get a few breaks to put her over the top.
Grade: B-
Shecky
Final Total: $1,900
Winning Percentage: 0.565
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: Shecky stumbled with a couple weeks to go, then finished with a $1,000 week to make the playoffs. He was a model of consistency throughout the year and has a lot of experience to bring to the postseason.
Grade: A-
South Division
Boss Hardigan
Final Total: $1,900
Winning Percentage: 0.536
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 8 – Minnesota – Won
Recap: The Boss almost fell apart in the final month, but recovered in Week 17 to make the playoffs. He should view the regular season as somewhat disappointing, since he was neck and neck with Neon for the division crown for most of the season.
Grade: B+
Chalky Studebaker
Final Total: -$2,000
Winning Percentage: 0.397
Fines: $200
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – LA Rams – Lost
Recap: Chalky had an off year, hitting less than 40% and was never really a factor during 2017.
Grade: D-
Karl Farbman
Final Total: $600
Winning Percentage: 0.559
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 12 – Detroit – Lost
Recap: Karl bottomed out with his wild card bet loss, and then made a charge in the final five weeks, but it was too little, too late.
Grade: B-
Kiko Garcia
Final Total: $1,400
Winning Percentage: 0.513
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: Kiko surged post-Thanksgiving and made the playoffs by the skin of his teeth. He’s another franchise with playoff experience that could be tough to beat.
Grade: B
Neon Boudeaux
Final Total: $2,900
Winning Percentage: 0.617
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 5 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: Neon bet a lot of games and won most of them, including a nail-biter for his wild card bet. His consistency put him over the top for the division title and he seems to have shed the dead weight (Don Mattingly) and is running hot.
Grade: A
OJ
Final Total: -$2,900
Winning Percentage: 0.352
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 12 – Detroit – Lost
Recap: OJ barely picked a winner in the last six weeks of the season and his 35% winning rate is a scar that shall remain on his person for all of time.
Grade: F
Thine
Final Total: $900
Winning Percentage: 0.592
Fines: $300
Wild Card Bet: Week 6 – Baltimore – Lost
Recap: Thine had a strong winning percentage but didn’t manage his bankroll, losing his big bet and a few other large wagers when it counted coming down the stretch. He was a stone’s throw from the playoffs but withered in December.
Grade: B
Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Final Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.545
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 5 – NY Giants – Lost
Recap: An early wild card bet loss but Waldo behind the eight ball for the rest of the season, and despite some consistency in the second half, he wasn’t hot enough to make a playoff push.
Grade: C
West Division
Donnie Jeffcoat
Final Total: $1,200
Winning Percentage: 0.553
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Buffalo – Won
Recap: Rookie Donnie performed really well but will use this as a learning experience. He had his grip on a playoff spot, but couldn’t string together wins when he needed them most in Week 16 and 17.
Grade: B+
Dr. Oge
Final Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.469
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: The defending champ went quietly into the night in 2017. Oge was barely on the radar for most of the year.
Grade: C-
Kenny Powers
Final Total: $2,800
Winning Percentage: 0.712
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 6 – Atlanta – Lost
Recap: Kenny set the FMFL season record for winning percentage, and he needed every one of them, as the tiebreaker gave him the division title. It was an amazing year for him despite losing his wild card bet early in the season.
Grade: A
Mr. Marbles
Final Total: -$300
Winning Percentage: 0.485
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 15 – New England – Push
Recap: A push on his wild card bet in Week 15 ended Marbles’ hopes for the playoffs.
Grade: C
Rick Moranis
Final Total: $2,800
Winning Percentage: 0.635
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – San Francisco – Won
Recap: Rick had a tremendous season, but unfortunately came up short with the tiebreaker for the division. I guess it should make him feel better that Kenny had an all-time season? Rick always seems to be just a hair away from winning the big money. Maybe the postseason will be better for him.
Grade: A
T-Ferg
Final Total: -$1,600
Winning Percentage: 0.419
Fines: $700
Wild Card Bet: Week 12 – Jacksonville – Lost
Recap: T-Ferg had a poor season all around, with a bad winning percentage, some missed bets, and he couldn’t save it with a wild card loss in Week 12.
Grade: D
The Notorious ABT
Final Total: $1,800
Winning Percentage: 0.566
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: The Notorious ABT catapulted into the playoffs with a wild card win and some smart, conservative play down the stretch.
Grade: B+
The People’s Champ
Final Total: -$1,200
Winning Percentage: 0.398
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: The Champ never had the spark from past years, but maybe if Eli retires, his luck will change? (TBD)
Grade: D+
